The Cheap USB Kill Stick That Destroys Any Computer You Want

There are two types of bad USBs out there. One lets you trick the computer into thinking it’s a keyboard or other USB device, and the other goes straight over malicious into computer killing territory.

Last year, Russian security researcher Dark Purple designed a USB stick that uses high voltage to fry a computer system, or at least, the USB port. Now a Hong-Kong-based company has turned that concept into an actual $50 product that anyone can buy, dubbed the USB Killer.

When plugged into a device, the USB Killer rapidly charges its capacitors from the USB power lines. When the device is… more